Nigeria’s anti-graft war applauded globally, Osinbajo says

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and other participants at the Open Govt Partnership Week in Abuja on Monday. Twitter photo

Ade Adesomoju and Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said on Monday that the Federal Government’s efforts in fighting corruption and deepening good governance in the nation were being applauded worldwide.

Describing corruption as a threat to the nation’s existence, Osinbajo insisted that the scourge was responsible for why the nation had no savings and invested only “very little” in infrastructure and jobs “in spite of record oil revenues between 2011 and 2013/14”

Osinbajo, who spoke in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the five-day Open Government Partnership Week 2018, said that within the period, despite the billions of dollars reportedly invested in security, the Boko Haram insurgency did not abate.

The period between 2011 and 2014 referred to by the Vice-President, stretched over half of the era of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s Administration.

The Vice-President has recently come under criticisms by the opposition for dwelling too much on the corruption under the previous administration.

Osinbajo, while speaking on the topic, ‘The impact of Open Government Partnership to Nigeria’s Anti-Corruption Efforts’, said, “for too long, the resources meant for the majority have been sadly cornered by a greedy minority.”

He said, “Our government came into office on the back of a three-pronged agenda: ensuring security, rebuilding the economy, and vigorously prosecuting the fight against corruption.

“This last issue, corruption, has been an existential issue for Nigeria, threatening the very fundamentals of our existence.

“It has ensured that, for too long, the resources meant for the majority have been sadly
cornered by a greedy minority.

“This issue of corruption underlines every aspect of our national life, from our security situation to the state of our economy.

“It was the reason why, in spite of record oil revenues between 2011 and 2013/14, we saw no savings, and very little investment in infrastructure and jobs, and, in spite of the billions of dollars reportedly invested in security, the Boko Haram insurgency did not abate.”